"A swift reaction by the United Nations Security Council is urgently needed" over situation in Syria, said Herman Van Rompuy, the President of the European Council on Monday, Xinhua reported.
"I urge all members of the UN Security Council to assume their responsibilities in relation to the situation in Syria," he said "and adopt steps long overdue in order to bring an end to the repression in Syria."
According to Van Rompuy's statement, the leaders of the European Union (EU) fully endorsed the conclusion adopted by the EU Foreign Affairs Council on January 23 and reiterated the Union's call for an immediate end to violence.
He said that the EU would continue to support the efforts of the League of Arab States aimed at ending the violence in Syria and welcomed the decision of the League of Arab States to increase cooperation with the United Nations.
Also on January 23, the foreign affairs council of the EU added 22 persons responsible for "human rights violations" and eight entities "financially supporting the regime" to the list of those subject to an asset freeze and a ban from entering the EU .
The addition brings the total number of entities targeted by an asset freeze to 38 and the number of people subject to an asset freeze and a visa ban to 108.